After developing some background knowledge on the election, my students and I enjoyed the Scholastic News article, “Who Will Win?”

We compared the two candidates based on

their past, family, and favorite foods. 🙂

The students LOVED this!

From this lesson, I could see that all of the students already had a specific candidate in mind, based off of what their parents had said

at home and through ads.

I knew that we couldn’t vote based on names.

We needed to do a blind vote. I wrote up kid-friendly bullet points of each candidates’ beliefs based on five big issues.

I gave each student a piece of paper and for each issue they had to choose a side. Based on which side/candidate had more checks, is who the students would vote for. The whole time they were trying to figure out who was who but literally had NO IDEA 🙂

Before revealing the blind votes, we voted by each candidate’s name.

Obama won 12 to 6.

Then we tallied our votes from our blind study and Romney won 15 to 3.

Interesting…

These results led to GREAT discussions between the kids.

I barely chimed in at all!

They did such an amazing job 🙂

Here are the ‘I voted’ buttons I made for my kids!

Here are some of my kiddies with their buttons!

Here is my latest pack that I am so excited to share with you!!

My kids are OBSESSED!

We have started money so I decided I needed some

hands-on games to practice

coin recognition, value, adding amounts, and making change.

Here is a football themed game where students purchase their football team or cheerleading squad with coins. The students have the option to purchase any cheerleader or player that they can afford. However, in order to be the first one to fill their roster and win, the best cheerleaders and/or players to purchase would be those with the cheapest price tag. The students must use logic to see that in order to have the best strategy.

Object of the Game: To be the first player to have their roster filled!

Skills Practice with this Game:

* Addition

* Subtraction

* Coin Recognition

* Coin Value

* Logical Reasoning

Included are three different spinners in order to provide level options.

Spinner 1: Uses quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies

Spinner 2: Uses dimes and pennies

Spinner 3: Uses only pennies

In addition to the materials provided in this pack, you will also need:

* coins

* paperclips

* pencils

Click on the preview below to see this in my store!

The first two reader’s to comment with their favorite football team will win a copy of this pack!